A Father's Pride and Joy
by Passionate Cec
Summary: John has something to ask Helen's father and does so with some apprehention while Gregory remembers another time he talked to Druitt. Mostly Gregory/John but mainly about Helen and John.


Hi.

A certain someone whom I know will recognize herself has been harassing me. She's been constantly asking/ordering me to write this. I guess I shouldn't have promised I would write it. Anyway, this is actually two ideas I had brought into one story.

I'll had that this story is mostly Gregory/John but since Gregory doesn't appear in the character box (and since there are way more Helen/John readers anyway) this is categorized as Helen/John... because technically it's mostly about them... You'll see what I'm talking about. :)

As usual, Sanctuary and its characters do no belong to me. I make no money with this story. Its sole purpose is entertainment. No copyright infringement intended.

Also as usual, don't forget to give me something to read. I live for reviews. :D

Enjoy. :)

**A Father's Pride and Joy**

'Come.' Dr. Gregory Magnus called to the person who had knocked on the door to his office.

The door opened and in stepped a slightly hesitant John Druitt. It was an unexpected visit and the concern on the man's face worried the doctor. _Could something have happened to his daughter?_ The thought crossed his mind and the fear gripped his heart. _What could the girl possibly have gotten herself into?_ He set down his pen, took off his reading glasses and crossed his fingers, elbows resting on the desk.

'John.' He acknowledged with a nod. 'Is everything alright?' He didn't need to specify his question – he knew John understood.

'Of course. I've come to talk to you. Helen doesn't know I am here.'

Gregory frowned at that. At first, accepting the relationship between Helen and John had been difficult. But it had only taken a him few minutes of seeing the man make his daughter happy to let her be with the man she so clearly loved. He had never tried to arrange a wedding for her, having always wished Helen to be independent and achieve her dreams. He had also known she would never agree to marry a man she did not care about. But seeing his daughter in the arms of a man had been shocking. Especially considering he caught them when they least expected it.

_It was quite late at night when he passed the front door, closing it softly behind him so as not to wake Helen. As he walked through the house, he was careful to be as quiet as he possibly could. He was about to walk to his office but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw light seeping between the floor and the door to the library. He checked his watch. It was past three in the morning – even if she were working, Helen would not still be awake this far into the night. Slowly, he pushed the door open and followed the source of the light. He startled to a stop when he found it. Helen was sitting on the sofa, leaning against a man he recognized as John Druitt, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, hand rubbing her arm, his cheek resting on top of her blonde locks. Gregory stood frozen for a few moments, watching the young couple. John whispered something into Helen's hair and she laughed before lifting her head to press a kiss to the man's lips, settling her head back on his shoulder._

_The comfort between John and Helen, the air of calmness that seemed to surround them surprised Gregory as much as their obvious involvement. He had never seen Helen so calm and he couldn't quite believe there was anyone on earth, much less a man, with whom she was so quiet and at ease. There was something about John Druitt that made her let go completely. And Dr. Magnus didn't have the slightest idea what it was. But there was absolutely no doubt they had been a couple for quite a while and he had to wonder exactly how long it had been. He had met John more that once and he wondered whether they had already been seeing each other the last few times they met. _

'_Helen.' He said, his voice low and slightly threatening._

_The two young people sat up straight, moving away from one another. Helen stood up, whirling around to look at him a shocked expression on her face. Her cheeks had lost all their__ colour__ and he briefly feared she was going to faint. But he shouldn't have worried as she stood her ground. His daughter had always been stronger than that. John followed her movement at a more sedated pace, no doubt hesitant and worried about the consequences._

'_Father.' Helen greeted, voice slightly strangled. 'I did not expect you here tonight.'_

'_That goes without saying.' Gregory watched as his daughter fought the urge to fidget. 'Would you care to explain yourself?' _

_She took in a deep breath, as if she were preparing herself for a long explanation but stopped before she had even started and seemed to deflate somewhat, looking down at her feet._

'_Is there really much to explain?' She whispered._

_She looked back up at him, pinning him to the spot with one glance. Her blue eyes which looked so much like her mother's had always been his undoing. And right then and there, as they shined with fear was no exception. Still, he couldn't just let this pass. After all, he had just found her in the arms of a man, their embrace, though chaste, far more passionate than he would have liked. He might give her the choice of finding a man she loved enough to spend the rest of her life with – he had had that chance with Patricia, how could he possibly refuse her that? – but it was most definitely not what he had had in mind. The stern look remained on his features. _

'_Father.' She repeated. 'John and I love each other.' Helen simply said. _

_She dared a brief glance to the side to look at John. He had a wary look on his face and seemed quite unsure of what to do with his tall frame. She had never seen him like that and it would have been quite humorous had the setting not been as critical._

'_You have always told me that you would respect my choices and that I should not let society dictate my life, that I should fight any value I believe to be wrong.' The look in her eye as well as the tone of her voice and her mere voice told him that he had already lost the battle. There was no way he possibly and honestly fight against his own words. 'No one has ever taken care of me the way John does.' She added._

_For the briefest moment, he was afraid she included him in that. But one look at her face told him it wasn't the case. They both knew he had been far more present for her that any other father. Helen smiled sweetly at John and he saw love shine in her eyes. His dear daughter was head over heels in love with the one he had wrongfully thought was nothing but a friend. And he saw those feelings reflected in the young man's own blue eyes. He too, was completely and utterly in love. Helen stepped closer to John and discreetly slipped her hand into his, tangling their fingers. Gregory could only admire her bravery. She didn't back down and he felt pride swell in his chest at the thought of having raised such a strong a brave woman. Helen and John looked into each other's eyes for a moment and Dr. Magnus felt like he had no place in the room. They seemed to have a whole conversation in just a few instants and without saying a word. He noticed John give Helen's hand the slightest squeeze, his eyes set on hers. She responded with yet another sweet smile. She turned back to her father._

'_No one could make me happier, father.' _

_He sighed once and extended his hand. Helen pulled away from John as she carefully circled the sofa. She slipped her hand into her father's and he gently pulled her to him until she was standing close enough that he could almost press his forehead against hers. He looked into her eyes._

'_Is this what you truly want, Helen?' She nodded and smiled. 'Well, my dear, I can't possibly forbid you something I have promised you since you were a child.' The grin that lit up her whole face was so bright he immediately knew he had made the right decision. He reached for her second hand. He looked into her eyes for a while longer before squeezing her hands and letting go. 'Give us a minute, would you?' _

_He ignored her warning look and his eyes followed her retreat from the room, resisting the urge to scold her for the teasing grin she sent John's way. Once she was out of earshot and most likely out of the room, he turned his attention to the tall man still standing on the other side of the couch. Helen had certainly chosen a man that was impressive and would not doubt protect her should she need it. Though she most likely would refuse to accept any kind of help._

'_Do I need to warn you, young man?' He asked once he deemed the silence had lasted long enough._

'_No, sir. And if it means anything, I love your daughter more than I have ever loved anyone. And I truly intend to make her happy.'_

'_I'm glad. Still, as it is my duty as a father, I will remind you that, if you hurt my daughter, you will have many angry men after you. And what I personally would consider far worse: you will have one very deadly woman after you.' _

' "_Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." ' John quoted, nodding. Gregory could only agree. If there was anyone those words had been written for it was his daughter. 'I am quite aware of that, Dr. Magnus. Helen is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Only a fool would ruin that. I would rather die than hurt her.' He promised._

'_Very well.' He thought for an instant before pinning his gaze on Druitt. 'John, I can tell Helen loves you very much and I can tell you love her too. I only want the best for my daughter and you might not be whom I had imagined for her but just a few minutes with you have told me that you certainly make her happy. I've always prided myself on allowing her to make her own choices and she seems to have chosen you.'_

_Gregory laughed as the same happiness that had lit up Helen's face a few instants earlier appeared on John's features. With no more than a few words and motions he had indicated that John should go home. Suspecting Helen would be waiting outside the room, he just watched from afar as John's arms circled her waist. She lifted her arms up and around his neck and laughed when he easily picked her up and swept her around. He had never seen his daughter acting so freely and he smiled and the sound of her laugh. John set her back down and leaned down to kiss her cheek. He whispered something into her ear and they exchanged a few quiet words before John kissed her lips once and turned to leave. _

'What is it, John?' He asked the obviously hesitant man. He motioned for the chair but John shook his head.

'I've come to ask for your daughter's hand.' He seemed as shocked as Gregory as the words passed his lips.

'That certainly cuts to the chase.' He noted. 'So you want to marry Helen?'

'I do.'

'Why?' John startled. That was certainly not a question he had expected. Walking to the desk he sat down in the offered chair.

'I love Helen more than life itself. She is quite possibly the most amazing person I have ever met and any minute I spend with her makes me happier than I could ever dream to be. She is a brilliant, accomplished woman and I have a tremendous amount of respect for her in that matter. I admire her more than words can speak for who she is and what she does. You may know she has not only been the woman I love in the past few months. I have also been seeing her as a doctor. And not only is she one of the best, she has also helped me quite a lot and I can now say that she has cured me of a demon that had been plaguing me for a long time. For all those reasons I now know my dearest dream is for Helen to be my wife, to have her by my side every day for the rest of my life.' John looked at the man with an expectant look.

'Quite a lot of reasons you have there young man. Why would I allow you to marry my daughter? What do you have that other men don't?'

'A love, admiration and respect that bear no limits. I could spend the rest of my days describing every single feature I love about her and I have made it my personal goal to make her as happy as she makes me. I promise that, as long as I am alive, Helen will not be hurt.'

Gregory nodded slowly, his face impassive. He remained silent for a while, reveling in the increasing anxiety he could read on Druitt's face. He had known the day he discovered about Helen's relationship with him that John was the one and only man he would give his daughter too. But he could not let anyone know that and he had to make the man sweat for a few minutes.

'John, do you remember the night I walked in on Helen and you in the library?' John chuckled.

'Quite vividly.'

'Then you must remember the words I told you.'

'Yes I do. I had never been as relieved and as joyful before.' Gregory smirked.

'I have heard quite a lot about you since that night.'

'You have?'

'Oh yes. Helen speaks of you quite highly.' John grinned.

'I'm glad she does.'

'Let me tell you one thing, John. Helen loves you as much as you love her. And never have I seen my daughter as happy as when she is with you or talks about you. She seems like a completely different person. And, for a father, there is no greater joy than to see his only daughter so fulfilled. There is no other man than you that I would want my daughter to marry.' He finally said. 'I have been waiting for the day you would come knocking to my door for quite a while now and I am glad to see that, despite the love you felt for her, you have remained reasonable. I myself know what true love can do to your soul and heart. It is quite magical.'

'Yes it is.' Magnus chuckled.

'You have my approval, John. Go ask Helen to marry you. I promise you, you won't have to wait long for her answer.' John's grin widened even more.

'Thank you.'

'No, son. Thank you for making my daughter so happy.' The two men briefly smiled at one another. 'Was that all?'

'Quite enough for one day.' Druitt stood up and smiled one last time before turning around and moving to the door. He was already gripping the handle when the older man called after him.

'John? When do you plan on asking her?'

'I am taking her to theater in just a few nights.'

'Very well.' Druitt turned to face the door again. 'Oh and John? By all means, do not let her know you came to me first.'

Chuckling, John left the room upon those wise words.


End file.
